Feeding device for roasting-furnaces



W. F. WEEKES.

FEEDING DEVICE FOR ROASTING FURNACES) APPLICATION FILED mwzs. 1919.

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FfiEDlNG DEVICEFOR ROASUNGFURNACES. APPLICATION FILED :uLY29. 1919.

131 895686 Patented. May 17,1921.

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WITNESSES mmvr ak MZLMME Mas/r55 w. F. WEEKES. FEEDING DEVICE FOR ROASTING FURNACES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29. I9I9. I ishfiwgfifla V Pat-entefl May 17, 192K.

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UNITED "STATES PATENT WILLIAM FRANCIS WEEKES, OF LINWOOD, QPENNSYIQVANIA,'ASSIGNOR 'ro GENE L CHEMICAL COMPANY. OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION or NEW Y FEEDING nEvioE FOR ROASTING-FURNACES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented iiayiv, 1921i Application filed July 29, 1919. Serial No. 314,155.

To a n-lmm if may concern Be it l\'I1(i\\l\ that l-, 'iLLixii FRANCIS -\\'i-:i:nics. a citizen of the l'nited States, and

erated rabble arms. the progression being downward and usually beginning at the uppermost hearth. heii usiiigsuch furnaces for cia'tain purposes. such as for instance, in burning hrimstone, it has been found desirable or necessary under certain conditions to initially deposit the material upon one of the intermediate hearths rather than upon the uppermost one. Up to the present time this operation hasbeen laborious because it has been carried out manually.

My invention has for its object to provide an improved and simple feeding device 'wherebysuch deposit upon an intermediate hearth may be readily and automatically accomplished in an eflicient and economical manner.

My invention will be fully described hereinafter and the features of novelty will be pointed out iii-the appended claims.

In tli accompanying drawings, in which: I have shown an example of my invention operatively combined with a Herreshoif furnace, Figure 1 is' a plan view; Fig. 2 is a front elevation and F 3 is a side elevation partly insection.

As shown in the drawings the furnace 5 1s 7 preferably cylindrical in form and is pro-' videdinteriorly witha number of superposed hearths 6, alternately provided with central-openings 7' and peripheral openings 8. Ari-upright shaft 9 is suitably journaled in the furnace 5 and is rotatably driven in any convenient manner, as by means of -suitably actuated bevel gears 10 and 11. This shaft 9 carries a plurality of rabble arms 12 of any well known type and located in proximity to the upper surfaces of the hearths 6,, more orless, said rabble arms 12 being constructed to feed the material progressively fromone hearth to the other alternately through the openings 7 and 8 as the shatt t) is rotated. the progression being downward. The wall of the furnace is pro-,

vided \vitli'openiiigs 13 opposite each of the v hearths (i. said openings being located for instance along a single vertical line as shown by way of example in the, drawings or being otherwise located in said wall. if desired;

these openings 13 are closed by means ofsuitable. closures 11 during the operation of the furnace and in all cases when open perniit access to the individual hearths.

As illustrated my novel 'feeding device comprises a horizontal flanged receiving tray 15 carried by supports 16 which in turn are located upon a platform 17 mounted u'pon suitable beams 18' extending diametrically across the furnace and having their opposite ends resting upon the circular wall thereof. The exit end of the receiving tray 15, flares outwardlv as shown in Fig. 1 and communicates with a flanged chute 19 which converges toward its exit end 20; the chute '19 inclines downwardly from the receiving tray 15 and has its oneen d fastened to one of the supports 16 and its exit end 20 extending through and resting upon the lower portion of an opening :21 formed in the wall of the furnace at the proper point. I

The exit eiii'l 20 'of the chute 19' is fitted into a recess 22 provided in 'the flaring in let end 23 of.an intermediate chute 24:, the latter being supported in. any suitable manner as by means of brackets '25 secured to the furnace the chute" 19 extends downwardly at.. .i eljnation across the furnace as shown in fig. *2 and also extends at an inclination away from said furnace as shown in Figs. 1 and 3'. The lower endof the chute 24'communigtteswith awhopper downwardmandflin a rdly inclined portion 28 arranged to extendthr'ough one of the furnace openings 13 and above the hearth 6 contiguous thereto: the chute 27, with'its hopper 26 and portion 28 may be supported in any convenient manner as by means of a bracket 29 secured to the wall of the fur- As shown in the illustrated example a suitably supported hopper 30 is located above and in registry with the receiving manner as for instance by means 'of sweeps 31 mounted upon the shaft 9 whichis extended upwardly through the furnace and through a suitable hearing 32 for this purpose. These sweeps 31 are constructed so as to pass across the tray and to sweep the material therefrom to the chute 19 as will be apparent.

In the illustrated example I have shown my novel feeding device arrang d to deliver material to thethird hearth 6 from the1bottom, through the proper opening 13 which is provided for this purpose; it will be understood that by substituting the proper chute 24 the device may be readilyadapted for feeding material to any of the other intermediate hearths.

In any case the material, after being deposited upon the receiving tray 15 is swept theretromby the sweeps 31, in the proper quantity, into the-chute 19 down which it passes by gravity, it being understood that the inclination ofsaid chutc 15) is greater than the angle of repose of the material in question. From thechute 19 the material passes successively into and through the chutes 24 and 27 and by finally passing, through the portion 28 of the chute 27 is deposited upon one of the intermediate hearths 6, the third from the bottom in the illustration.

The feed of the material to'said hearth I or to any one of the others is carried on automatically and in an eiiicient manner without any attention otherthan that required to keep the hopper 30 supplied with material. The device may be quickly set up and combined with existing furnaces of the type in question and thus makes it possible to utilize a furnace. intended primarily for roasting ores, for'many other purposes such as roasting spent oxid, refuse from distillation of brimstone either alone or mixed with brimstone and also as a supplement to atop feed for permitting the charging of the .furnace at such selected points as is desired and also lacilitate the simultaneous burning of two or more materials. The device itself is simple in construction and arrangement and requires no skilled attention when in use and at the same time avoids the manual labor heretofore required when it was desired to charge a furnace of the indicated at intermediate point. Another advantage present in the invention is regularity of feedgivlng uniform temperatures in the furnace-and thus less Wear and tear on the furnace as compared with charging .by hand at intervals, and when feeding brimstone or its equivalent, also giving gas of uniform SO content which is an advantage in sulfuric acid manufacture.

Various changes in the specific form shown and described may be made Within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

1 claim:

1. The combination of a furnace having a plurality of superposed hearths and Wall openings in registry therewith, means located upon the top of the furnace for receiving material and a plurality of cotiperatlng chutes arranged in series and communb catinp with said receiving means whereby material is conducted from said receiving means and delivered through a wall opening to a hearth other than the top one.

,2. The combination of a furnace having a plurality of superposed hearths and wall openings inrcu'istry therewith. a receiving truy locatcd upon the top of said furnace a chute carried. by said furnace and inclined downwardly from said tray. means for transferring material from said tray to said chute and a plurality of individual tubular chutes located exteriorly of the furnace vertical shaft in said furnace and extending I upwardly beyond the same. rabble arms carricd by said shaft. a receiving tray located upon the top of said furnace. a hopper above said tray whereby material is delivered thereto. a downwardly inclined chute having its one cnd'in receiving relation to said tray, swccps carried by said shaft arranged to periodically transfer material-from said tray to said chute; an intermediate tubular chute located exteriorly of said furnace and arranged to receive material from said first chute and a final tubular chute located extc'r-iorly of said furnace and arranged to rcccive mat'crial from said intermediate chute and conduct it through a wall opening to an intermediate hearth. I

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. I c I I I WILLIAM FRANCIS WEEKES. Witness:

NELLIE M. FINEGAN. 

